Kingdom Hearts BBS: From Darkness
by TheFirstTrio
Summary: One shot. Aqua's home is gone. She's been thrown into a new life and seen new faces. Can she handle the sudden change and memory loss? Get ready for some family love!


KINGDOM HEARTS BBS: FROM DARKNESS

This story is a one shot set before my story and before the events of Kingdom Hearts BBS. It's going to show the developing relationship between Aqua and Terra and the fatherly figure that Master Eraqus provides them both. This is immediately after Aqua arrives at Land of Departure.

Aqua's age: 6

Terra's age: 7

Master Eraqus's age: 37

* * *

Master Eraqus had experienced many things in his life time. He had fought the forces of Darkness on many worlds and many places. He had helped as many people as he had been forced to defeat and put down. He'd seen stars blink out, indicating the end of a world. He had saved an equal number of worlds.

But never once had he expected a portal to a world open up inside of the castle of Land of Departure, have a close friend fling their only daughter through, beg Master Eraqus to take care of her, and then see that friend be brutally murdered as their world died.

So when the portal opened up, he had summoned Master Keeper on reflex and turned to the portal, eyes going wide at what he saw: the outline of Mizu and her daughter, as well as a dying world behind them. Mizu was covered in wounds and gashes, bleeding heavily.

"Eraqus! …you….you have to take my daughter, right now! Please, take care of her!" her voice cried before she flung her daughter through.

"Mizu! What are you…" Master Eraqus began before he was cut off by Mizu throwing her daughter at him.

He was clearly surprised when he caught said little girl in his arms, dropping Master Keeper in the process, the weapon disappearing in a flash of light.

Aqua herself was a small, nearly fragile looking girl; she had short just above shoulder length blue hair and bright blue eyes that currently were spilling tears. She wore a sundress which stopped at her knees and was light blue in color; it had red stains from her mother's blood. And she was clutching a stuffed rabbit as tightly as she could, like her life depended on it. Even now, Master Eraqus could sense the great latent power in this little girl

Immediately, Aqua tore free of his grasp, screaming, "MOMMY!"

Aqua froze in place, dropping her stuffed rabbit, absolute terror seizing her. Master Eraqus felt his jaw drop in utter shock and horror.

Both Master Eraqus and Aqua were treated to the sight of Mizu being decapitated by some_thing_ because it couldn't have possible been someone, as dark and hateful as the monstrous creature had been.

Master Eraqus felt his anger nearly explode on the spot, about to rush at the portal before it snapped shut.

But he had a much bigger problem on his hands.

Aqua had gone into acute stress reaction the second her powerful bond to her mother and her mother's heart got severed, as well as from seeing her mother die.

Upon letting out a blood curdling scream when she had seen her mother die, Aqua had collapsed onto the ground, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she had started convulsing.

At once, Master Eraqus was at her side, going, "Aqua! Aqua! Calm down!" But Aqua convulsed particularly violently and then stopped moving. Master Eraqus felt the color drain from his face when he also realized that her breathing had stopped as well.

No. He was not going to fail this girl's mother. He had promised to take care of her. He was NOT going to let this girl die.

By the time, Terra, his student, a seven year old boy with messy, spiky brunette colored hair and cobalt eyes. Terra was currently wearing a loose fitting back shirt and tan shorts, carrying with him a wooden Keyblade he had made himself. He had been working on controlling his strikes, no doubt. Master Eraqus could hear the fear in his voice and see the shock on his face.

"Master, I heard a scream and—" Terra began to say before Master Eraqus cut him off.

"Not now, Terra!" Master Eraqus said as he rolled Aqua onto her back, immediately starting CPR. He began chest compressions on the small girl, followed by breaths.

Terra watched on, dead silent as Master Eraqus desperately tried to resuscitate Aqua. Terra was scared; had that girl died? She couldn't have been more than six or seven years old.

After a couple of minutes, Master Eraqus realized that CPR wasn't going to bring the girl back, he switch to a different tactic: he would use his limited thunder magic to perform defibrillation. Placing one palm just below her left collar bone and one palm below her right breast, Master Eraqus sent a jolt of three hundred volts into Aqua.

He was rewarded with a loud gasp and Aqua's back arching painfully before she slumped back down, eyes snapping open wide as she gasped for breath. Her eyes darted around, seeing unfamiliar faces and places. _'I'm scared….I'm scared…!' _Aqua thought, her throat going dry.

Aqua whimpered, tears resuming, as she rolled onto her side and then into a ball, shaking badly. She seemed utterly broken.

In reality, she was. Master Eraqus scooped up the little girl carefully, going, "Terra, go back to practicing." Master Eraqus glanced at Terra; he seemed frozen in place, unable to do more than nod slowly. Terra remained in place as Master Eraqus left, heading out of the main hall and into a hallway that lead to the student's bedrooms and guest bedrooms.

Terra shivered and looked back, noticing a stuffed rabbit lying on the stone floor. Moving over to it, he bent over and grabbed the thing very carefully, looking it over before a sudden realization dawned on him.

This belonged to that little girl; surely, she would want it back.

"I better get this to her…" Terra murmured before he began to run after Master Eraqus and the girl he was carrying.

Master Eraqus had just reached one of the guest bedrooms when Terra caught up to him, going, "Master Eraqus!" The older man glanced over at Terra, giving him a stern expression to which Terra nearly faltered under. But Terra managed to keep his courage long enough to squeak out, "S-She kinda dropped this, M-Master…"

Terra held out the rabbit and Master Eraqus's face softened. Aqua saw the rabbit as well, still shivering in Master Eraqus's arms. Instantly, her arms extended, a pleading look on her face, wanting to reach for the rabbit Terra held. _'How could have I forgotten such a treasure for Aqua…?'_ Master Eraqus mentally chided himself.

Lowering himself down for Terra, Master Eraqus said, "Thank you for your kindness, Terra. I would have been quite foolish to have left that behind." Terra smiled brightly before looking at Aqua, who whimpered, wanting her rabbit even more now. Terra quickly moved over and placed the rabbit in those outstretched hands. Instantly, Aqua pulled the stuffed rabbit close to her before she began to cry into it. Terra's expression fell slightly as Master Eraqus stood up and said, "Terra, I must ask you go back to your exercise. Aqua must rest. Her world has been destroyed…"

'_Her…home is gone?' _Terra thought in a bit of awe and shock, clearly unable to fully comprehend that this girl's entire family was gone, as well as everything she knew.

Terra did as he was asked, departing quickly; however, he couldn't help but to think Aqua was a pretty name. Flushing, he darted off quickly.

Master Eraqus walked into the room, the walls of which were a rich navy blue color, with light blue currents. The bed was a large one for even someone like Eraqus, being a Queen size with a black comforter and blue pillows. The frame was wooden, the wood itself a rich brown color. There were two doors inside the room; a sliding door for the closet and a white door for the bathroom. There was a night stand to the right of the bed and four empty book shelves.

Throwing the covers back, Master Eraqus placed Aqua into bed before gently throwing the covers over her. She whimpered slightly, clearly frightened by his scarred appearance. She held her rabbit close, eyelids starting to grow unbelievably heavy.

'_Who is that…? Where am I…? And why does my chest hurt so much?'_ Aqua thought before her eyes closed, finally. Her last thought before Aqua finally let sleep claim her was, _'…and why do I feel so alone…?'_

Master Eraqus watched Aqua until she fell asleep, getting up and closing the curtains to the room, followed by leaving to one of the storage closets. After some hunting, he found his prize: a nightlight that rotated and projected small stars on the wall. Placing it on the nightstand, Master Eraqus turned the light on, hoping that this could provide comfort for Aqua, as well as make her feel more at home.

Because he knew Aqua was going to need all the help and support she could get.

Having accomplished setting up Aqua's nightlight, Master Eraqus knew he needed to go find Terra and speak to him about Aqua. Terra was known for being overly blunt, which would lead him to trouble with Aqua if Master Eraqus didn't attempt to explain the situation.

* * *

Terra was supposed to be practicing his basic combinations like Blitz. He was supposed to be working on improving himself to achieve his dreams of becoming a Keyblade Master. He wanted to be doing all of those things.

But Terra wasn't.

So, there he was, sitting on the steps outside the castle that lead to the fore courtyard directly before the castle itself.

There Terra was, stuck thinking about less than enjoyable images.

He couldn't get the image of Aqua's pale body and the expression, or lack there off, on her face when Master Eraqus was trying to bring her back. Terra had never seen anyone die, even for that brief moment in time. He didn't even know that girl, other than what she looked like and her name, but for some reason, he felt icy fear when he saw those images when he closed his eyes.

Terra couldn't get the wounded look of Aqua's face out of his mind either. Like someone had simply slapped her and then berated her viciously.

He didn't like it; he wanted to do something about it, as well. Terra knew, though, he wasn't really able to do anything and that bothered him even more. Looking over at the wooden Keyblade, Terra groaned a bit. Sure, he could summon the Earthshaker, but Terra wasn't allowed to freely summon his Keyblade yet. Master Eraqus had stated that after he'd first summoned his Keyblade.

Terra huffed a bit and grumbled, "Why can't I stop thinkin' about what happened…?" He wanted to know what had happened!

He was just about get up and go find Master Eraqus when the Master's voice spoke, his stern voice going, "Terra."

Terra nearly came out of his skin as he turned and let out an intelligent, "Buh!" He very nearly fell down the stairs as well, having pivoted like he did. Realizing he was looking right as his Master, Terra quickly bowed and said, "I'm sorry, Master! I know I should be practicing, but I….um…."

Master Eraqus chuckled at Terra's reaction and said, "Terra, my boy. I can understand why you are not at ease. Please, sit. We must talk about Aqua." Master Eraqus then took a seat on one of the steps near Terra.

Blinking some, Terra slowly sat down. He gathered his derailed train of thoughts and then asked, "Why is she here…?"

"Aqua is here because this will be her home now. She has no home to return to and I made a promise to her mother. Do you understand this, Terra? When you make a promise to someone, you must do your utmost to keep this promise and respect their wishes," Master Eraqus explained to Terra, making sure he kept the details of Aqua's homeworld and what happened to her mother a secret.

Terra nodded slowly, feeling his already great respect for Master Eraqus grow even more. He would be like that, too! "When I make promises to people, I'mma gonna keep them too, no matter what!" Terra declared, proudly puffing out his chest.

Master Eraqus laughed a bit at how excited his student was. That was not quite what he wanted Terra to get out of this conversation, but it was still positive none the less. However, Master Eraqus had to note a few more things.

"Terra, you are to treat Aqua with the same respect as you would me. She will be very emotionally unstable during the next few days after going through such a traumatic event," Master Eraqus noted to his student. Master Eraqus strongly hoped that Terra and Aqua could get along and become good friends.

"Yes, Master," Terra said as he nodded in understanding, or as much as he could understand. That meant to Terra he had to make Aqua feel like she was at home, right? He wondered what sort of games she might like to play.

"Now then, shall we get something to eat?" Master Eraqus inquired of his student. Terra's eye lite up and he replied, "Yay! Er, I mean….yes, Master!"

Smiling, Master Eraqus got up, followed by Terra, and headed inside. Today had been exciting for everyone here, including their newest arrival…

* * *

_**The next day… **_

Aqua shifted under the covers as she rolled onto her side, still sleeping from yesterday's events. Her stuffed rabbit was still hugged close to her chest and her clothing was still stained, but the blood had dried now, permanently staining her dress. The room was dark, but the nightlight provide some light as it projected small stars onto the wall, the ceiling, and onto Aqua's sleeping form.

The door knob to the room Aqua was sleeping in jiggled some and then opened. Master Eraqus's figure slowly came into the room. With him was a sack of goods; the castle had been lacking in supplies for someone like Aqua, so he had taken a trip to the local village on Land of Departure. With him, he had brought back several sets of clothing, two bottles of strawberry shampoo, and even a few books as well. One was a coloring book and two where about magic. From what Mizu had told be him long before yesterday's events, Master Eraqus knew Aqua had gone through a Inheritance Ceremony and was immensely talented with magic.

Moving closer to the bed, Master Eraqus placed the bag on the ground next to the bed before reaching out and gently shook the girl. "Aqua…" Master Eraqus's voice said in a gentle tone. Aqua stirred some.

The little girl opened her eyes, the orbs focusing as they found Master Eraqus's form before them. One might expect Aqua to scream and try to flee from him. But Aqua wasn't like most girls; yesterday had seen to that.

Rather, she asked, softly, "Who…are you? And where am I?" She slowly sat up, groaning as she felt her chest protest angrily. It felt like her ribs had been smashed by a sledgehammer. "Oh, I feel terrible…"

If Master Eraqus was surprised by Aqua's reaction, he didn't show it. Rather than potentially scare her, Master Eraqus replied, "My name is Master Eraqus; you are in my castle on the world of Land of Departure."

Aqua looked over, a slightly confused expression on her face before she, letting the rabbit sit in her lap, replied, "Land of Departure? But…that's not my home." There was a pause. "But I can't remember; I don't even know what home is! I just know this isn't my real home. Where are my parents…?" She tried to remember something; anything. All that flashed through her mind where flashes of blue.

And when she tried to remember more, her brain erupted into agonizing pain, making her slump over with a sharp cry of pain. She took in a sharp breath and said, "I can't…I don't know them. I don't know my mother or my father or anything! Why…ngh…"

Aqua trailed off, looking at Master Eraqus, faint hope in her eyes. "I know my name is Aqua. I know that much. Do you know who my parents are? Where I am from?"

Master Eraqus was silent as he looked at Aqua, eyes studying the girl. Master Eraqus had a choice: he could try and explain what he knew or he could create a lie. Either way would drastically shape the course of Aqua's life and the personality she could very well develop.

He made his choice.

He hoped it wouldn't come back to haunt him, in life or death.

He lied.

"I do not know your parents, nor do I know what has become of your world. However, you did arrive through a Corridor of Darkness. I must assume your world was consumed by Darkness," Master Eraqus replied in a gentle tone.

Aqua flinched and looked away; her home was gone? She really was alone, then. No family, no home, no anything. Only this stuffed rabbit that she knew was important; more than a mere toy. She balled her hands into fists, grabbing onto the cloth of the covers. She looked over to Master Eraqus, her eyes watery, but her voice even and collected.

"…gone…" she muttered before she paused and asked more strongly, "Where am I going to go, then, Master Eraqus?"

"If you desire, you may stay here and live with myself and my student, Terra," Master Eraqus said with a welcoming smile, reaching down and pulling up the sack of goods. Placing it between himself and Aqua, he gestured to the bag. "I went to town to acquire some clothing and goods for you, Aqua. They are yours to keep."

Aqua looked at the bag and slowly crawled over to it, peeking inside. She could see the various objects inside; a small came to her face. Moving over to Master Eraqus, he was caught off guard by her hug. She buried her face into his chest and said, softly, "Thank you so much. Thank you!"

Master Eraqus smiled as well and returned her hug, rubbed the center of the girl's back. He didn't respond; he gave her the time she needed. He wasn't cruel; who was he to deny hugs from someone who truly needed them the most. His own Master had once said something that had stuck with him forever.

'_Being a Keyblade Master is more than strength; it is strength of heart, of character. Power is nothing to someone who needs a shoulder to lean on; to cry on…'_

And right now, Master Eraqus truly understood those words.

"If you clean up, I'll make you something for breakfast. Is there something in particular you'd like, Aqua?" Master Eraqus asked as he pulled away from the girl's hug.

Aqua immediately brightened up and said, "Oh, waffles sound divine, Mr. Eraqus!"

Master Eraqus laughed and replied, "Waffles it is. Terra is sleeping in, as today is his 'off-day.' After breakfast, would you like to meet him?"

"I'd like that, Mr. Eraqus. Maybe we can be friends!" Aqua replied with a beaming smile. She quickly got up and grabbed her new stuff, looking around for a moment. She looked back sheepishly and inquired, "Um…where's the bathroom?"

Master Eraqus pointed to the white door and said, "That is the bathroom. The sliding door is the closet. It is already stocked with hangers for your clothing, as well as a dresser draw for your undergarments."

"Thank you, Mr. Eraqus. I'll be ready faster than you can say whimsical!" Aqua chirped before she rushed to the bathroom, going inside.

Master Eraqus blinked a couple of times before he pondered, _'She knows that word?'_ Master Eraqus shook his head, chuckling as he rose to his feet. _'Clearly, she is quite intelligent.'_

Heading out of the room, Master Eraqus only had one problem now…

'_Can I even make waffles…?'_

* * *

_**Later that day…**_

Terra's room could easily be described with a single word: disaster.

The wooden floor was littered with clothing. The desk was covered in crumpled up papers from assignments, drawings Terra wasn't pleased with, and various open books. The bed itself, even without Terra in it, was either mess or made haphazardly. The room sported a slide door to a closet, a door leading to a bathroom, and two shelves, along with a desk and a rolling chair.

Terra himself was currently sprawled out on his bed, shirtless and in red lounging pajamas. He was drooling some from his mouth and snoring as well. With a grumble, he smacked his lips together and opened his left eye. The sun light was beaming through his window, the blinds pulled up and curtains pulled open.

Terra looked around with his one open eye before closing it and preparing to go back to sleep.

That didn't last long.

Suddenly, both of his eyes snapped up and he sat up, going, "Oh, crap! It's Sunday; I'm wasting my day! Crap, crap, crap!"

He was not going to waste his Sunday!

Getting up in a hurry, Terra quickly cleaned himself up, brushing his teeth and making his hair less messy (but still spiky!). He then changed into a pair of tank shorts, sneakers, and then a red T-shirt. Ready for the day, Terra rushed to his door and bolted out.

He was likely too late for Master Eraqus to make him breakfast, but Terra could always make himself some PP&J! And potato bread was pretty amazing with peanut butter and jelly.

Terra hoped they still had some grape jelly, alright.

Rushing to the kitchen to sat his hunger, Terra burst through the door…

…and promptly crashed into someone.

There was a squeak of surprise, coupled with Terra crying out in pain as he clutched his forehead. The person, whoever it was, toppled onto the floor, Terra assumed, judging from the thump that followed. Terra had very nearly done the same.

"OW! What the hell!? That really, really hurt! Who's dumb enough to be on the other side of the door?!" Terra snarled, about to unleashed his wraith on whoever was in front of him. He opened his eyes and instantly paled.

It was the girl from yesterday! Today, she was in a white skirt that had blue trim to it and a light blue shirt, wearing some brown flip flops. She was currently on the tile floor, looking a bit dazed.

He had just called her dumb. And cursed! Oh, if Master Eraqus heard that, he was going to be doing laps for the rest of his life!

Aqua looked at him with a mixed expression of shock and hurt. Had he just called her stupid? It wasn't her fault he'd come charging through the door like a herd of drunken bulls! She got up and stomped her foot, loudly.

"I am not stupid, you big jerk! It's not my fault you came charging through the door with all the reserve of an enraged bull! Maybe you should slow down!" Aqua said an angry expression on her face.

"W…what? Reserve of an enraged bull? What does that even mean?" Terra replied, feeling rather silly he didn't quite understand her. What kind of six year old used such strange words?

"It means you're clumsy and don't have any consideration for others," Aqua said with a frown, folding her arms across her chest.

Terra looked flabbergasted for a moment before he scowled, darkly even. "Hey, I'm not clumsy! You're just slow. And a girl! And you have blue hair!"

Aqua flinched some and replied, "How dare you! I am not slow, you big meanie! And my hair is natural!"

"Yeah, well, I bet you're still slow," Terra replied before spitting his tongue out at Aqua, making her sputter indignantly. Before she could react, Terra reached and flicked her nose.

Hard.

Aqua recoiled, clutching her nose before she felt tears start to form and then fall. She turned away, trying her best to control her tears. Terra had just flicked her nose and it'd hurt, a lot! The insults didn't help, either.

Terra, with intent akin to a predator about to leap on a wounded animal, said, "Ha! And you're a big baby, too. Cry baby! I bet no one wants to be your friend if you wanna cry so easily…"

Silence between the two formed, like a massive gaping chiasm that couldn't be easily bridged. Terra paused and looked away, realizing his words had been really mean. He was about to apologize when he heard a heart wrenching noise.

Aqua sobbing loudly.

If Aqua remembered anything, it was how people treated her for her looks, her abnormal skill with magic, everything. They were cruel; children threw rocks at her and called her a witch. And here she was, hoping Terra would have been different. She had been hoping he'd be her first friend. A real one, too.

Instead, he was heartless like the rest.

"…no one ever wants me. No one wants to be my friend. Other kids threw rocks at me and called me a freak and a witch. All I want is…" Aqua sobbed as she backed away from Terra. "You're a meanie! I _**hate**_ you!" And with that, Aqua pushed Terra into a cabinet as she rushed by, tears streaming down her face and she choked out sobs.

Terra smashed into the cabinet hard, seeing stars as the back of his head hit the wooden door. "OW!" Terra cried, clutching the back of his head. That girl was strong to make Terra recoil in pain so easily.

'_Oh man…I really messed up…'_ Terra thought as he rubbed the back of his head, in pain. He'd promised Master Eraqus he was going to treat her nicely; instead, he'd made her cry with harsh words.

And it was made worse by the fact that she had no friends, no family, and was just looking for some sort of comfort.

Terra had messed up, alright.

However, a determined look came across his face. Eating could wait. Everything else could wait.

Right now, he needed to find Aqua.

Terra rushed out of the kitchen, determined to set things right.

* * *

It had been an _hour_ and still, he couldn't find Aqua. He'd looked in several potential hiding places, as well as her room. He'd tried several closets and other rooms. Still, he couldn't find her. And Master Eraqus was in his study, most likely.

Terra hanged his head in shame; he didn't want to go to Master Eraqus and tell him he'd broken a promise to him in less than twelve hours!

No. He refused to face his Master without trying to fix this first. He wasn't going to face that shame.

Terra growled in frustration. He _had_ to find her.

Terra tried, on a whim, the next place he hadn't checked and a place that people rarely went too.

The library.

Walking into the library, Terra knew he was in the right place; he could hear faint sobbing through the eighteen shelves of books. They didn't like the walls; rather they were lined up side by side in the center of the room. Terra rushed across the room and looked to his left.

There she was, in the far corner of the room, curled into a fetal position, holding onto her stuffed rabbit tightly.

Terra felt a stab of pain in his chest. She looked so pitiful and sad. And it was all Terra's fault.

Moving over to her, Terra called out, softly, "Um…Aqua…?"

Her reaction was to stiffen up entirely, eyes snapping open as she looked over to Terra. She backed herself up and into the corner, going, "Stay away from me."

Terra frowned and got closer, going, "No. Aqua, I just wanna…"

Lashing out violently, Aqua shrieked, _"__**STAY AWAY FROM ME!**__"_ With a burst of magic, Aqua formed her Barrier spell around her. Terra leaped back, on instinct. He was in awe.

That was advanced magic! He hadn't even seen Master Eraqus do that before. Terra slowly approached again and touched the Barrier.

It wasn't just strong; Terra couldn't even move it and it had no flex at all. It was magical armor!

Armor to protect Aqua from the physical pain she'd likely been forced to endure.

That just made Terra feel even worse about himself. He looked at her form, at how tightly she was holding that rabbit, and at the fear, pain, and loneliness in her eyes.

No one like Aqua deserved to be this alone.

"Aqua…" Terra said softly.

"_**No**_! No, don't you even say it! I'm not a witch, I'm not a freak, I'm not inhuman! _Stop_ insulting me, _stop_ hating me, _stop_ looking at me like I'm a bloodthirsty _**abomination**_!" Aqua screamed back before she nearly broke down into wails again, instead choking back sobs.

Terra blinked, horrified at the terms she used. How could people be so _hateful_ to a little girl? She hadn't done anything wrong. She was just borne that way. It wasn't fair or right to judge her!

He wasn't going to be lumped into that group of people.

Terra quickly said, "I wasn't going to. I wanted to say…I'm sorry." He looked at the floor, completely crestfallen.

Aqua blinked, tears falling less and less as she said, "…you…you're…sorry?" She sniffled some, but kept her Barrier up for now.

"I am. I said some really mean stuff back there. And I shouldn't have 'cuz you're none of those things. You're really cool…I like your hair and I think that magic you're making is really awesome! I can't even control a fire spell well, let alone make such cool spells!" Terra said, trying to gain her trust and make her feel better.

Aqua nervously looked down at her rabbit and then back to Terra. She bit her lower lip and asked, "You're not scared of me? You're not going to throw rocks at me or spit on me…?"

Terra shook his head and replied, "No. What I said was wrong 'cuz I don't know anything about you. I'm really sorry I made you cry. I don't want to be lumped into the same group of people that hurt you. I want to be your friend, Aqua."

Aqua looked down as she slowly dropped her Barrier, allowing Terra to finally reach her. He moved over to her, extending his hand and gently placing it on her shoulder. Suddenly, a bright idea came to him and he smiled brightly.

"Hey, I know! You have some awesome magic; I bet you can use a Keyblade! Maybe you can train with me and become a Keyblade Master!" Terra suggested, being hopeful that Aqua would agree with his plan.

"A Keyblade…I have one of those. Rainfall…" Aqua replied with a grin, wiping her tears away.

This information made Terra's eyes go wide and his mouth drop. _'No way! That's awesome!'_ Terra thought before he moved back and said excitedly, "Oh, you gotta show me!"

Aqua giggled and replied, "Ok…I guess I can." Aqua lifted up her right hand. With a gentle pulse of magic, Aqua summoned Rainfell, the navy blue colored Keyblade appearing in a flash of white light and flower petals.

Terra smiled and said, "Hey! It's blue. Pretty blue, kinda like you."

Aqua blushed faintly and replied, "Oh…! Um, thank you, I guess…" With another flash of white light and petals, Aqua made Rainfell fade away for now, until she was ready to use it again.

Terra extended his hand to Aqua, the young girl looking at his hand before taking it. Helping Aqua back to her feet, Terra said, "We got to find Master Eraqus. I bet he'll…"

"There is no need for you to find me, Terra."

Terra nearly jumped into the ceiling at the sudden sound of his Master's voice, going, "Gah, crap! Danger alert!"

Master Eraqus, who had been standing behind one of the closest book shelves, had finally shown himself. He laughed heartily at Terra's reaction, noting Aqua was struggling to contain her own laughter.

"Master Eraqus! I can explain…" Terra said, bowing to him respectfully. Master Eraqus held up his hand at this.

"Terra. You have indeed broken a promise you made to me. For this, I am disappointed…"

Terra's shoulders slumped at this, defeat starting to set in. That is, until Master Eraqus continued to speak.

"However, despite your mistake, you did something that can take great courage to do: you apologized to Aqua. You actively searched for Aqua to make sure was not only alright, but to be there in her time of need. You made her, in the end, feel welcome and cared for. For this, Terra, I am immensely proud of you."

Terra looked up at his Master, wide eyed, and said, "You mean…you aren't going to make me run laps for the rest of my life, Master Eraqus…?"

Master Eraqus gave Terra wiry smile, going, "Not unless you'd enjoy that, Terra."

Terra quickly responded with, "NO, no, no! I'm fine, Master Eraqus!"

Aqua laughed at Terra's reaction to running laps, making Terra look back for a moment before he joined her in laughing as well. This made Master Eraqus smile more.

"Now, Aqua…I could tell you had great potential when you arrived her; you summoned your Keyblade only proves this. I have heard Terra's suggestion and now, I wish to act on this," Master Eraqus said, moving over to Aqua and getting on one knee. "Aqua, would you like to become my student?"

Aqua's eyes widened at this and she stuttered out, "Y-Yes, I'd be really happy to! I'd have a home and I'd…" She trailed off and said, very softly. "I'd have a father…"

Master Eraqus nodded and pulled the girl into a gentle hug. Aqua giggled some, fighting back tears of joy as she hugged Master Eraqus.

Terra whooped for joy and said, "Yeah! I got a friend and a training buddy! Go Terra, you da man!"

This just earned a playful glare from Aqua and a chuckle for Master Eraqus. Picking Aqua up and letting her ride on his shoulders, Master Eraqus said, "Now, I believe this calls for a celebration. Who wants ice cream?"

The pair of responses he got was more than enough for him.

'_Even in great darkness, there is light. Even in death, there is happiness…even in the darkest of times, joy can be had…'_

Master Eraqus smiled. Even in death of her world, Aqua had managed to gain a friend and a father.

That was what was really worth celebrating…


End file.
